Success
for Japan in the fight against the whaling ban
In the fight against the ban of commercial
whaling Japan and its allies won for the first time a vote after more than 20
years. The conference of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) in St Kitts
and Nevis in the Caribbean approved with 33 to 32 votes with one abstention
a resolution which says the moratorium "is not any longer necessary".
The moratorium for commercial whaling, valid since 1986, remains in force because
it requires a three quarters majority of the member states to its abolition.
The explanation also says whales are responsible for the decimation of the fish
population and the environment protection organizations a threat for the fishing
fleets.
Besides the explanation requests the IWC, not to care about the protection of
the sea mammals but to care about the control of commercial whaling in the future.
The resolution is not binding but increases Japan's hope to be able to tilt
the ban.
The
secretary of the environment of New
Zealand Chris Clark called the abolition
of the resolution brought in by St
Kitts and Nevis an "important
diplomatic victory for Japan".
The speaker of the Japanese delegation,
Glenn Inwood, spoke of a "historical
victory".
Environmentalists are appalled. "That is a large disaster", said Kitty
Block of the Human Society International. "That will be now their propaganda."
For Sue Lieberman of the WFF the vote shows that Japan with its search for support
has success.
Japan and Iceland officially adhere
to the whaling ban. However they use
an exception clause to the killing
of the sea mammals which claims is
for "scientific purposes".
Norway does openly not adhere the
ban of whaling. Together the three
states kill annually about 2000 whales.
The IWC has been split for years into two camps, into that of the proponent
and that of the opponent of commercial whaling. Since years Japan has affected
poor countries with development assistance in order to buy their votes.
Environment protection organizations need all
the support they can get in order to protect the whales final becoming extinct.
It's a shame that Japan is buying votes from third world countries and even
tries to affect the population with untruths. Whales are not evil eating machines
who decimate the fish population of the seas.
For the desolate empty fishing of
the seas, man with their enormous fishing fleets are responsible themselves
and not the whales.
Therefore support environmental organizations so that the commerce does not
destroy the last remainder of our oceans.
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